Getting copper out of a tank

[mallorieGgator]

Hey all!
I have an older tank I used to have fresh water angels in. I think it's a 50 gallon tank and it's deep like a 40 breeder (It may even be a 40 breeder). I believe (it was a LONG time ago) that I treated copper in it. Is ther any way to remove the copper so I can use it? Will I need to re-silicone it or what? Thanks! I didn't know what forum to post this in so if it's better suited for DIY, mods please move it. Thanks!

 

[beaslbob]

It should not be a problem.

Especially if you use a refugium with thriving macro algae you harvest regularly. The algae with bioaccumulate (filter out) copper which will then be exported by the harvesting.

my .02

 

[tomle]

use cuprisorb, it works good.

 

[mallorieGgator]

I thought Copper was bad for inverts and even small amounts can kill corals and other inverts. Also, what is cuprisorb?

 

[shred5]

It is.. I would not chance a aquarium that had been used with copper for a reef.

Dave Polzin

 

[Troylee]

Honestly copper doesnt hold well in saltwater fwiw... Have you ever set up a hospital tank and used it you have to dose so much to keep it up it's ridiculous... Carbon is more than enough to remove IMHO... If the tank has been cleaned and is sitting empty I don't feel you have a worry in the world... If it was a tank that's currently running and you used copper and decided to add corals I would feel different.... I say wash it out and go no worries in my book...

 

[shred5]

I want to add.. Copper does not bind well with glass or silicone. Saltwater has a little copper in it as well as some fish foods.

You could always fill the tank with saltwater leave it sit for a couple weeks and use a salifert copper test kit to see if there is dangerous levels of copper. Also one of the best way to remove copper from the water is poly filters. You could also run the water through one and if the poly filter turns color green I think when there is copper…
Honestly though I am not sure I would trust it. You would probably loose snails.

Dave Polzin

 

[mallorieGgator]

Hmmm, interesting thoughts. I think filling it with salt water and then doing a copper test sounds like a good thought. It's been sitting empty for probably 6 or 7 years now. I may need to replace the silicone.

 

[Troylee]

well petco always has a dollar a gallon sale... is $40 worth your time to silicone it???? something to think about anyways... stripping that and cleaning it where new silicone is gonna hold is gonna take a whole lot of effort, money and time....

 

[mallorieGgator]

True that.

 

[beaslbob]

copper test kits do not measure down to reef levels. So unmeasureable amounts can still be detrimental to corals.

conversly if you get any measureble amount at all then that could be a problem.

 

[Dan Watson]

Old thread bur, I’ve come across a 90gal cube from oceanic/perfecto merger days but its been in a copper environment for a long and undetermined amount of time as a sw qt tank in an LFS. Its gorgeous and cheap but i plot to use it as a reef tank. The more I read the more I come to the verdict of “not worth it”, but still curious if there’s some reef nerd out there that’s successfully eliminated copper in old Quarantine tanks long term?